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Health, Safety, Environmental and Community Policies
Guyana Goldfields Inc. (GUY) and any subsidiaries
are committed to proactive and sustainable health, safety, environmental
management and community best practice policies. Policy statements
in each specific area are contained in this document.
In respect of the above the Company will:
• Build on international best practices for
exploration and mining,
• Implement environmental requirements as laid down by the
Guyana authorities,
• Implement health and safety best practices,
• As a minimum comply with World Bank Group policies and guidelines,
• Establish and implement appropriate communication and consultation
procedures with all stakeholders.
The Company will ensure that wherever possible
and necessary it will assist in the development of sustainable local
policies and procedures that will minimize the impact of exploration
and mining on the natural landscape and local communities, and which
will ensure a safe and healthy environment for the communities and
natural resources, including wildlife, that may reside in the area
where exploration and possible subsequent mining may occur.
The above principles will also apply in respect
of the approach to health and safety for all employees and those
individuals, communities and companies that may become involved
with or affected by the planned exploration programme, and all subsequent
evaluation and mining programmes.
Appropriate community liaison, disclosure and interaction
will be undertaken at all stages by Guyana Goldfields. The level
of consultation and disclosure will increase with the increased
scale of activities.
The Company recognizes that conditions in the rain-forest
of Guyana may have high biodiversity value and consequently the
Company will strive to ensure that sound practices are followed
at all times.
Environment
The Company believes that good environmental management
at every exploration stage, prospect, and mine site, proactive health
and safety procedures, transparent interaction with local communities,
and implementation of prudent expenditure and business performance,
constitutes the foundation for successful exploration and sustainable
development.
The Company will implement appropriate procedures
for different stages of its airborne surveys, ground exploration,
prospecting and evaluation, and development work.
Environmental & Social Management at the Development
Stage
The Company recognizes the benefits of proactively
engaging and working with local communities for the benefit of all
stakeholders. In this respect the Company will communicate and consult
with local communities and stakeholders with a view to fostering
mutual understanding and shared benefits through the promotion and
maintenance of open and constructive dialogue and working relationships.
In order to maximize the benefits arising out of
any mining development the Company will ensure that all construction
and mining operations carried out by it or by subsidiaries and joint
ventures to which the Company is party adhere to the guidelines.
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Community Relations
Proactive interaction with the communities that
the Company’s exploration and development programmes may impact
on is considered an important part of the long-term investment that
the Company is planning in Guyana.
Though early stages of airborne exploration have
a minimal impact on communities this changes once targets are identified
and evaluation and development programmes are implemented.
The company recognizes that from the inception
of the programme, and as the project progresses it will be important
to:
• Communicate and interact proactively with any community
and role player that may be affected by its programmes,
• Inform and obtain buy-in on a mutually agreed and consensus
based manner with the full range of stake holders that may be impacted
upon by exploration, evaluation and development.
In these respects the Company will work actively
and transparently with Government authorities, other elected parties,
non-governmental organizations, and the communities themselves to
ensure that they (the communities) are aware of the activities of
the Company, and that the impact on communities is kept to a minimum.
At this point that drilling, evaluation and other
such programmes are implemented the Company will endeavor to identify
how the impacts of such work on communities can best be managed,
and how benefits can best be provided to communities through the
activities of the Company.
Health and Safety
The health and safety of its employees, contractors,
affected communities and any other role players that may participate
and be affected by the activities of Guyana Goldfields are crucial
to the long term success of the Company.
Every effort will be made through training, peer
pressure, regular reviews and briefings, and other procedures to
ensure that best practice health and safety policies are implemented
and maintained by the Company including prompt and in-depth accident
and incident investigation and the implementation of the conclusions
thereof.
The Company’s aim is at all times to achieve
zero lost-time injuries (LTI’s) and fatalities.
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